Rather than viewing some citizens’ immigrant backgrounds as complications to be managed, they should be embraced as competitive advantages
One in three marriages in Singapore is a transnational union. Each year, Singapore naturalises about 20,000 new citizens and grants another 30,000 permanent residency status, many of them children and young people. These two demographic trends are creating a generation of young Singaporeans who are invisible yet in plain sight – ethnically Asian and seamlessly integrated into local life yet carrying deep cultural and familial connections to our regional neighbours.
My four-year research project reveals that Singapore’s approach to integrating the children of migrants has created dual outcomes. On one hand, it has achieved remarkable integration success as these young people blend into Singaporean society. On the other, it has erased their immigrant backgrounds and regional connections, missing a strategic opportunity for soft power.
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